Where did the year go???

HELLO FAMILY!!!

WOW, first off, i cant believe its already November, holy cow! Where did the year go??? I guess i was to busy serving the Lord to even notice the calender! Crazy stuff.

Things have been going pretty good around here. Not to much has been happening though. Training a new missionary is definitely an interesting experience. Elder Bischoff seems to have already come pre-trained. There is not much i have to correct him on or anything. He is a hard worker and he wants to serve the Lord. There are a couple things here and there that i need to help him with but other than that he is very comfortable teaching and talking with people. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely things he needs to work on involving teaching and contacting people, but don't we all! haha. But learning to teach people and not lessons. We are not out here to teach set lessons with organized rote presentations. We are out here to teach the children of God the Gospel of Jesus Christ in whatever way they need it. We form and translate the gospel into ways they can understand and grasp. Ways they can relate it into their lives. So that is definitely something we are both working on. Long story short, training is fun, but interesting! haha.

Like i said things are going great around here. The work is continuing to progress and the miracles, though small, are continuing to happen. A small miracle we had this week was we were outside doing our morning studies because it was to cold in our house, and as we were sitting there, we see our neighbor from across the street start approaching us. We have talked with him before but never on a conversation level. So we talked with him for about 5-10 minutes just introducing ourselves. Then our picture of Jesus that we have on our window came up. He mentioned that he LOVES Jesus Christ. So we offered to give him a picture and he said he would really like that. So we got him a picture and delivered it to him yesterday. We then talked with him about learning more about the gospel and he invited us over for dinner next Monday and told us to visit him whenever we wanted. It was really awesome. His name is Frank Perez, he is a great man, i definitely see a lot of potential in Frank. The Lord prepares us so we can be ready for his prepared children. I love the gospel and i love being a missionary.

Well thank you all for the love and support that you have given me, i appreciate it all so much. I love every single one of you, keep up the love!

Love, Elder Pierce

Transfer news this week..

So hello there my wonderful family, 
So the biggest news this week that you are all probably expecting is the transfer news!!! drum roll please.....(dum dum dum dum!!!) I am training a new missionary in Clifton still. So Elder Howard got moved down to safford. He will be down there "momming" a missionary. That means that his companion has only been out for 1 transfer so far. Well anyways, my companions name is Elder Bischoff, he is from Lincoln, Nebraska. He is just a ball of energy ready to work. So I'm looking forward to it. 
Well anyways, a short little miracle for you this week. We had another lesson with David Gomez the other night. And we talked with him about baptism and followed up with him on all of his commitments. We spoke with him for probably about like an hour and then we were about to leave. We closed with a prayer and then i asked him if there was anything that we could help him out with before we go. He got really quiet and was staring at the floor. So i was kinda wondering what was going on. Then he looks up at us and just stares. In a very sincere and humble voice, he asked for a blessing. He has been having some health problems and he knows that a blessing from the priesthood can help him. Elder Howard anointed, and i sealed. I gave him the blessing and it was amazing. I could feel the spirit talking through me. And what the spirit promised him was amazing. The spirit promised him that when he heals and recovers from his sickness, he will know the church is true, and that it is only through the priesthood power of God that these things are possible. It was touching and a bit overwhelming. But it testifies to me more and more that this is the true church, and that as Representatives of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we hold the authority to act as he has acted, help as he helped, serve as he served, and love as he loved. 
I bore my testimony in church, i was thinking that we get to carried away in other topics in the church and we get away from the essentials. The principles of the gospel. So i got up and bore my testimony about Jesus Christ. And What he has done for me. To know and to understand and to personalize the atonement is a life long task. But to think and understand that while Christ was on his knees in that garden, suffering, he thought of me, just for a split second and thought "Bryce, this is for you". I know that Christ lives. I know that he suffered for me personally. He sacrificed himself because he loves me, and wants me to be happy. I love my savior. 
Love, elder pierce

There are Miracles happening Everywhere!

Well hello there family!!!! 

How is my family doing this week?? I would have to agree with Elder Moore, the time is flying by so quickly, i cant believe that October is already over!!!

Well i want to begin this email off on the right note. The other week i told you about our investigator Adriana, and how awesome she was. Well this week, i am writing to tell you just how much more awesome she is!!! She is just amazing, on Tuesday, we went over there and we just had such an amazing lesson with her. we were over there for probably two hours just teaching her about the gospel. And as i shared the first vision with her, i could just see the spirit change her life right then and there. As she was explaining the way she felt, she was like "i could barely breath, it felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest". We set her a baptism date for the 6th and she was like "yes, absolutely yes". She is getting baptized this weekend and bishop cleared her husband to baptize her. It is going to be so amazing. The Lord has truly prepared her for this. I am so happy for her and i cant wait for this weekend. She is already talking about going to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Her main goal already is to get sealed in the temple to her family. There are miracles happening everywhere!

Oct. 25th

Hello my wonderful family!!!

How goes life in your part of the lords vineyard??? It is definitely doing quite well over here in our vineyard.

To begin this email,  I would like to share with you an experience that is still continuing to progress. A while back, we tracted into a part member family. His name is Tommy gates. (I believe i mentioned this part of the experience before.) He had expressed to us how he hasn't been to church in years...lots of years. When we talked to his wife, she told us she has NO interest in joining the church or even talking about it. So we went on our way not thinking anything about it or whatever. But not to long ago, we had the feeling to go and try them again and see whats up. So we did, and she was like "ya, i want to go to church this week, what time does it start???" So we were totally shocked, because when we first met her, she barely would speak to us, now she wants to come to church?!?! whats going on here!?? And she came and loved it, that was last week. She came again this week and told us that she absolutely loved it again!!! It was the primary program this week and she mentioned that she really wants her 4 year old, Abigael, to be involved with things like that.(she is such a cute kid) Then she said that her church isn't filling the hole that she has, and she feels that what we have will. We have an appointment with her this Tuesday at 1:30. So I'm hoping we will be done with the specialized training that we have in Safford tomorrow in time, because she is solid. It was just so amazing! The work continues to progress. I was studying this morning and came across this scripture and related it to me and elder Howard's work here in Clifton, Alma 28:14. "And thus we see the great call of diligence of Elder Pierce and Elder Howard to labor in the Clifton ward".

Every thing had been going good. This week was much better than the week we had last week. We met with Jack Highley again this week and he is such a great guy and really wants to progress in the gospel. We had such a powerful lesson with him on Friday, in which he completely agreed with everything we taught him and accepted all his commitments. Unfortunately, we think there might be some problems. Problems i wont mention but we are really concerned for him. We will do whatever we can for him because he is just such a great guy. I will let you know if anything changes regarding him.

As for anything else we are doing quite alright. We just go out and teach the gospel, like the lord would have us do. I have seen such a change in my mission just in these past few months of how much i have grown. I see the dramatic effect that the atonement of Jesus Christ has played in my life. He is my savior, as i follow his example and direction, it will lead me to a place of eternal bliss. I love my savior, and i KNOW he loves me.

I love you all so much. Thank you for all the love and support you have shown to me.

Elder Pierce

 

We are warriors of our Lord!

Hello family, how is everyone doing this week? i have been alright this week, things have been pretty slow as of work goes. We were not able to see our investigators really at all this week. Every attempt we made ended up getting shot down and we got biffed where ever we went. It made me pretty upset to, non of our investigators came to church this week. Not a single one. It was just one of those weeks. It made it really tough. Like everyday, i couldn't wait to just lay my head down on my pillow and just crash.

But, the good part about all of this is that we are optimistic! We have the gospel in our lives and we want to share it with everyone. So that keeps us going. We have alot of good plans to get things rolling again and start teaching some effective lessons.

A cool miracle that happened though that i will share with you, we tracted into a guy the other week, his name is Tommy gates. So, we talked with him for a while and eventually found out that he is a member of the church. As we were talking to him though we found out he hasn't been to church in like years. So we encouraged him to come out to church again and give it a try. He didn't show up last week. So we went back this week and we talked to his wife (who isn't a member) and she was like, "i want to go. So i will get him dressed and everything." They showed up! we haven't taught them enough to count her as a new investigator, but we have plans to go and teach them this week. So we are really looking forward to that. They are very nice people. That is really the only eventful thing that has happened lately though...unfortunately. But like i said, we are optimistic. We press forward feasting upon the words of Christ and invite all in our path to do the same! We are warriors for our Lord!

I love you all so much. Thank you for all of your support and love.

Elder Pierce

A Missionaries Dream

Hello family, how goes it this week?

Things are going really well here. This week has been kind of rough. We didn't get the chance to see alot of our investigators. Which stinks. It was just kind of one of those "blah" weeks. Where nothing really seems to go right or the plans fall through. It happens though. Just have to get back on the horse and ride baby ride! haha.

Anyways, i got the package you sent me mom and thank you. I appreciated it. It was funny though, the day before i was like "elder Howard, I'm gonna loose weight" and then you send me a package full of candy haha. It just seems that every time i decide to start i get bombarded by candy and other goodies ahah. Well anyways.

So this week, I'm going to share with you an experience that i didn't get the privilege of having but it happened in our area. I was on exchanges with elder labrum in Duncan while elder Howard and elder Boyd worked in Clifton. Well while they were here, they were working on the task of visiting a bunch of potential investigators. Well they were working and they visited two potentials right in a row with no success. They were working on the same street and elder Howard felt inspired to check the ward directory. But he blew it off. They made another visit and again he felt inspired to check the directory. Well he was like "OK fine, i will check it." So he checks for any members that live on the street they were working on. Well there was one...just one. (name is not important). So they go and check it out and a man answers the door when they proceed to ask "is so and so here?" and he was like "no he moved out, i have been here for a couple of months now. So are you guys here to share something with me? lets hear it!" So they began to teach him and set him a baptism date right there. His response was this "i don't know what it is, but i feel empty inside, and i know what you have will fill it" AHHHHHHH, a missionaries dream right there. He is way solid, the lord is performing his miracles as we speak. We have no idea who is ready or when, but we know how to follow the spirit, because the lord knows. And he will guide us there.

Well i love you all so much, sorry it is so short this week, next week will be longer...i hope! Well i hope everything is going A-OK there, i just love you!!! Write me!!!

Love, Elder Pierce

That right there is Why I'm a Missionary!!

Hello family!

Hope everything is doing fantastic down there in the 702, or where ever you are reading this from. Because things are going fantastic down here! Things are just going so good these past couple weeks. Well anyways. I will inform you on exactly WHY its going so well.

Specifically i will start with this weekend. Saturday specifically. This Saturday we all had the opportunity to listen to the Prophet and his apostles speak to us. Giving us wise words of wisdom as well as advise. It was a marvelous experience. An experience we only get two times a year. Well this Conference, we had the chance to hear from D. Todd Christoffersen and Elder Patrick Kearon. If you remember correctly, those same individuals visited The Arizona Tucson Mission and me and Elder Howard personally had the chance to shake their hands and talk with them. it was amazing! such a cool experience actually knowing i have met them. And then to see them on the TV and talk to millions of people, it was just a cool realization.

Elder Pierce, Evan Lackner & Elder Howard

I would have to say that my favorite talks this conference were the talks given by Elder Juan A. Oceda on putting off the natural man, and then listening to President Uchtdorf give his talk about Pride...oh boy, those hit right at home for me. They were so powerful yet extremely sincere and sensitive to the situation. Man, they were just good talks.

Whoever reads this has to write me a letter, saying what their favorite talk was and why. :)

 So continuing on with why Saturday was so amazing, in between the afternoon session and priesthood session of conference, we baptized Evan Lackner...finally! It went so well. We had a huge turnout and alot of his family showed up as well. His uncle even came down from Salt Lake to baptize him. It just went good. Me and elder Howard got to participate and be the two witnesses as well as be in the circle of his confirmation and holy ghost receiving. It was way tight. But the coolest part of all was after the baptism was all said and done, he looked at me and elder Howard and in the sincerest way possible, said "thank you...thank you guys, without you i wouldn't be here right now, so thank you." Family, that right there is why I'm a missionary. Those simple words touched my heart in unreachable places. That right there makes all of this worth it. The heartache, the frustration, the pain, the sadness, the sore feet, being tired ALL the time...is worth it. Those simple words, "thank you". makes EVERYTHING worth it. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is worth it. Finding his children that are lost, simply trying to find their way, is worth it, every single day. That day was just amazing. Evan is such a good kid and i know he will go on to be a great missionary some day. Serving the lord the way his heart desires.

Family, i love you all very much, i hope you are all having wonderful experiences sharing the Gospel and being disciples of Jesus Christ every single day. Thank you. I love you all so much.

Elder Pierce